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In 2017, Japanese journalist Shiori Ito made waves after accusing Noriyuki Yamaguchi, a close confidant of the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, of raping her while she was unconscious in a hotel room in 2015. As the case brought negative attention her way from Japanese citizens, especially as Abe was still in power at the time, her own pursuit of ensuring the truth would be known across the globe made her the face of the Me Too movement in Japan. Of course, to tell your own story, especially when it’s as harrowing as this one would be an incredibly daunting task, but with this being Shiori Ito’s first feature film at that, it also conveys such anxieties onto the viewers so seamlessly.

Black Box Diaries opens fittingly enough with a trigger warning, advising that if viewers feel the need, they should take a deep breath and close their eyes. This alone would lead viewers into a thoroughly investigative documentary that seeks to interrogate Japan’s own laws regarding rape, which at the time had not been updated in over 100 years, together with Ito’s own legal proceedings in turn. While Black Box Diaries shows itself to be a film that’s solely showing a fight for justice through this personal pursuit, there’s no doubt that an important precedent is being established through Ito’s bravery – and of course, this film is one that reflects what it feels like to carry such a burden.

What’s most impressive about Black Box Diaries, especially noting the importance of the material being covered, is that the filmmaking itself puts you in Ito’s point of view during these key moments. Because of that, you’re also feeling the exact same fears and anxieties of the social ramifications that such a case would place on her, especially when just getting the verdict you hope for will not eliminate the effects of any negative press. Yet the form which the documentary is taking on is so thoroughly investigative, especially as it brings to light the circumstances that allow such social stigmas to take the front and center.

Of course, with Ito herself being the subject of her own documentary, there’s only so much vulnerability that one can display in here. Ito, being a devoted journalist, records every social encounter to give us a sense of what’s at stake for her, along with evert fallacy present in Japan’s legal system that allowed Yamaguchi to remain untouched for so long. All this work is astonishing enough on its own, but it also works to provide a voice for those who’ve been left silenced as a result of the harsh sentiments from Japanese society regarding sexual assault cases. The film in turn, feels like a plea for people to realize what that pain of having went through the experience would do to you mentally – as no two victims of sexual assault will share the same testimonies.

Adding to the fact that no two sexual assault victims will have the same experiences to share, Ito is also just showing every bit of her personality with the people whom she loves most, so as to see eye to eye with her. Because of societal standards to frame such people within a monolith, the fact that we’re seeing Ito being so playful together with friends and family works to establish herself as an ordinary person who could have been someone we knew up close. The end result of this approach, is a means of distancing from a supposed idealized sense of victimhood, as perpetuated by Japan’s highly conservative social standards, and Ito’s film seeks to make a record of the harms that are brought forth by such a tight perception of rape victims to a point of all being bureaucratic.

Black Box Diaries won’t show itself to be an easy watch for many viewers. But as a record of a history-making movement that calls to inspire change moving forward, it is essential. Shiori Ito’s bravery when bringing this case forth is one thing, but seeing what this entire journey would amount to, is monumental. And the fact that someone went out to make a record of how such injustices would only silence victims is an act of bravery as is. It’s already hard to imagine what it must feel like to be in Shiori Ito’s position, even after having seen the records that this film sets straight, with undeniable evidence at that, one can only hope that a positive impact will be made – even if small steps are to be taken.

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All images via MTV Documentary Films.

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Directed by Shiori Ito
Produced by Shiori Ito, Hanna Aqvilin, Eric Nyari
Featuring Shiori Ito
Premiere Date: January 20, 2024
Running Time: 103 minutes